Table o contents

Harold Frederick Shipman wis born in Nottingham, Ingland, the seicont o fower childer o Vera an Harold Shipman, a larrie driver.[4][5] His wirkin cless parents war devout Methodists.[4][5] Shipman wis pairticularly close tae his mither, who dee'd o lung cancer[6] when he wis 17.[5][7] Her daith came in a manner seemilar tae wha later became Shipman's awn modus operandi: in the later stages o her disease, she haed morphine admeenistered at hame bi a doctor. Shipman witnessed his mither's pain subside in spite o her terminal condeetion, up till her daith on 21 Juin 1963.[8]

Shipman continued wirkin as a GP in Hyde throughoot the 1980s an foondit his awn surgery at 21 Market Street in 1993, becomin a respectit memmer o the commonty. In 1983, he wis interviewed on the Granada Televeesion documentar World in Action on hou the mentally ill shoud be treatit in the commonty.

Grundy's dochter, lawyer Angela Woodruff, became concerned when solicitor Brian Burgess informit her that a will haed been made, apparently bi her mither. Thare wur douts aboot its authenticity. The will excludit her an her childer, but left £386,000 tae Shipman. Burgess tauld Woodruff tae report it, an went tae the polis, who began an investigation. Grundy's body wis exhumit, an when examined foond tae contain traces o diamorphine (heroin), aften uised for pain control in terminal cancer patients. Shipman wis arrestit on 7 September 1998, an wis foond tae awn a teepewriter o the teep uised tae mak the forgit will.[13]

Prescription For Murder, a beuk bi journalists Brian Whittle an Jean Ritchie, reports twa theories on why Shipman forgit the will. Ane is that he wantit tae be caucht acause his life wis oot o control; the ither raison, that he planned tae retire at age 55 an then leave the Unitit Kinrick.

Some o the victims' faimilies said thay felt cheatit,[26] as his suicide meant thay wad niver hae the satisfaction o Shipman's confession, an answers as tae why he committit his creemes. The Home Secretar David Blunkett notit that celebration wis temptin, sayin: "You wake up and you receive a call telling you Shipman has topped himself and you think, is it too early to open a bottle? And then you discover that everybody's very upset that he's done it."[27]

In her saxth an feenal report, issued on 24 Januar 2005, Smith reportit that she believit that Shipman haed killed three patients, an she haed serious suspicions aboot fower further daiths, includin that o a fower-year-auld girl, durin the early stage o his medical career at Pontefract General Hospital, West Riding, Yorkshire. Smith concludit the probable nummer o Shipman's victims atween 1971 an 1998 wis 250. In tot, 459 fowk dee'd while unner his care, but it is uncertain hou mony o those wur Shipman's victims, as he wis aften the anerly doctor tae certify a daith.[33]

In October 2005, a seemilar hearin wis held against twa doctors who wirkit at Tameside General Hospital in 1994, who failed tae detect that Shipman haed deliberately admeenistered a "grossly excessive" dose o morphine.[35][36]

A 2005 inquiry intae Shipman's suicide foond that it "coud no hae been predictit or preventit," but that procedures shoud nanetheless be re-examined.[30]

In 2005, it came tae licht that Shipman micht hae stolen jewellery frae his victims. Ower £10,000 wirth o jewellery haed been foond in his garage in 1998, an in Mairch 2005, wi Primrose Shipman pressin for it tae be returned tae her, polis wrote tae the faimilies o Shipman's victims askin them tae identifee the jewellery.[37][38]

Unidentifee'd items wur haundit tae the Assets Recovery Agency in Mey.[39] In August the investigation endit: 66 pieces war returned tae Primrose Shipman an 33 pieces, which she confirmit wur no hers, wur auctioned. The proceeds o the auction went tae Tameside Victim Support.[40][41] The anerly piece returned tae a murdered patient's faimily wis a platinum-diamond ring, for which the faimily wur able tae provide a photograph as proof o awnership.

A memorial gairden tae Shipman's victims, cried the Garden of Tranquillity, opened in Hyde Pairk (Hyde) on 30 Julie 2005.[42]

As o early 2009, faimilies o the victims o Shipman wur still seekin compensation for the loss o thair relatives.[43] In September 2009, it wis annooncit that letters written bi Shipman durin his preeson sentence wur tae be sauld at auction,[44] but follaein complaints frae victims' relatives an the media, the letters wur remuivit frae sale.[45]

Shipman, a televeesion dramatisation o the case, wis made in 2002 an starred James Bolam in the title role.[48] The case wis referencit in an episode o the 2003 televeesion series Diagnosis: Unknown cried "Deadly Medicine" (Saison 2, Episode 17, 2003) an aw.[49] Shipman's activities inspired D.A.W., an episode o the American TV series Law & Order: Criminal Intent an aw. In it, the polis investigate a pheesician who thay discover haes killed 200 o his patients.[50]

Baith The Fall an Jonathan King released sangs aboot Shipman. The Fall's sang is, "What About Us?", frae the 2005 album Fall Heads Roll. King's sang became controversial when, sax months efter its release, it wis reportit tae be in Shipman's defence, urgin listeners no tae "faw for a media demon".[51]

A Canadian film, 'Fatal Trust' directit bi Philippe Gagnon an starring Amy Jo Johnson came oot in 2006 an maks a nan-specific reference tae the Shipman case juist afore the closin credits. It seems tae hae been pairtly inspired bi his story an aw.